To practice law you have to sit for a two day comprehensive bar exam. To practice medicine you have to complete a grueling residency. To purchase printing you only need to answer ten questions. Spend a little time to become familiar with the following, which I refer to in the poll question as
Print Quote Components, and qualify as an expert!
Who is the customer? What is needed is the name of the entity who will receive the proposal and eventually pay the printer for the job. It may be your agency/organization, or a client/end-user. Pay special attention if the entity paying for the job is exempt from FL sales tax to be sure the paperwork for that exemption is current and available.
What is the projects name? This helps keep it separate from the dozens of "brochure" quotes that may be on file for you.
How many do you need a price for? Remember that the final quantity includes the mailing list, spoilage for the mailing step, plus copies for your office. Be sure to get additional pricing for a quantity slightly higher than you anticipate a need for, as the increase may be minimal. 2008 and 2009 could be called "the years of buying short". Budget fears are driving down the quantities ordered, but strong demand often exhausts the supply. Going back to press for a small additional quantity is quite expensive by comparison.
Where does it go when it's done, and when does it have to be there? Please do not leave this question until later...it can have a dramatic effect on the final cost if the job is of any size.
How will it print, or, more exactly, will it be spot colors or process color? This is the most often neglected question of the bunch, but, ironically, is fundamental to an accurate quote. If you can't answer this question you can't expect to get an accurate price without harsh interrogation by your vendor. If you don't understand the difference between spot and process color you should either spend some time with your designer or your print vendor until you do. This is a concept you must grasp or you will literally be guessing about the price. (I may need to devote a future post to this topic.)
Are there any additional features? This is a catch all question which calls attention to any steps beyond routine printing which may, in fact, take place outside of the local shop. These steps may require extra lead time, and have their own particular cost structures. These would include die cutting, leaf stamping, embossing, specialized bookbinding, among others.
Now the path splits into three directions which we'll call
Brochures (a single piece if paper, either folded or not),
Booklets (multiple pages bound together in some fashion) and
Business papers (letterhead, envelopes, business cards).
Brochures, we need to know:
- Trim size, that is the final size unfolded and flat. Do not worry about how many print at once.
- Type of paper see "I think I want, you know, the shiny paper?" http://tinyurl.com/be6aay
- Number of inks printed. Is it single color, full color, or spot color.
- Folded size, if applicable, see "Know when to fold 'em" http://tinyurl.com/cb4qyk
Booklets, we need to know:
- Trim size, final dimension of the pages, not the spreads.
- Number of pages in document, either including the cover or plus the cover.
- Type of paper for outside cover and interior pages, (if the same say "self cover".
- Number of inks printed.
- Binding style, (e.g. saddlestitch, perfect bind, coil bind, etc)
Business papers, we need to know:
- Trim sizes, and whether the images "bleed" off the edge
- Type of paper
- Number of inks printed
This amounts to about ten questions you need to answer to get an accurate quote for almost all reasonably standard print projects. For each question you can't answer, or leave the answer to the printer, expect the accuracy of you quote to drop about 10% to 20% depending on which questions you're booting. It won't take long for your "quote" to become a "guess". Unfortunately, it may be a "guess" that becomes the basis of your client's expectations. Beware.
Think about it from your client's point of view. Everyone is aware that the cost of errors in a print job can range from embarrassment to a complete rerun. If you will learn the terminology, and maintain good two way communication with your print vendor, you will be able to convey the feeling that the project is under control and headed for success. This feeling will contribute to the client confidence you need to keep the relationship solid.
This is a set of skills you can develope with very little effort: read through this blog, schedule a visit to your printshop, call your vendors to brainstorm. Why not use this opportunity to become an expert, and increase your value to your company and your clients?
As always, if I can help please call or email. Until then, see you online!
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
If this change has a potential impact on your publication please be sure to contact the USPS or your mailing services provider to verify your layout is in compliance. The last thing any of us want is for your project to run into trouble at the Post Office after it's printed. Let's all try to catch up with this situation and help each other maintain eligibility for the lowest possible postal rates.
